School 2013 is a drama with a big heart and is a touching tale, which makes you experience an emotional ride with the characters, who adorably grow on you. It is a simple drama with treatment extraordinaire.

The Plot:

The story is about the lives of normal high school students; the problems and dilemmas they face, their aims, friendships, relations, pressures. The path they want to take. The series also shows the difficult situation of the teachers: whether they should teach with focus on university admissions or should they educate the students so that they can learn certain things in life.

What I Liked:

One thing that I understood through this show was that the problems of all students remain universal. School 2013 deals with the issues in a realistic manner. It has so many wonderful characters that it’s hard to pick which one you care for more. But my favorite remains Go Nam Soon (played brilliantly by Lee Jong Suk). Even then, there should be no doubt that the real hero here is the powerful and poignant script, which is so much emotionally engaging and heart tugging. Also, the drama does not have any stylish camerawork or cinematography; it lets itself move at its own course, remaining simple and realistic.

The drama has one of the best bromances ever. It does not boast of the fancy happy ending or rushed course of everyone’s life, but keeps it somewhat open-ended. The drama made me teary eyed so many times: we feel with the people here, such is the power of School 2013. The pace of the drama does get slow and repetitive at certain points, but it takes its own time to deliver the moments that stay with you. I always want romance in my movies or dramas, but here I never felt its absence anywhere. There are also some funny scenes here and there, that keep the atmosphere lighter.

Performances:

This fantastic drama is filled with fantastic acting. Lee Jong Suk is superb and steals your heart. The same can be said for Kim Woo Bin, who is equally good. And their camaraderie is amazing. Jang Nara and Daniel Choi give a mature performance as the teachers with opposite perspectives. The trio of reformed school guys: Kwak Jung Wook, Lee Ji Hoon and Lee Yi Kyung deliver a stellar performance and their bromance is another great one as well. Hyo Young, Park Se Young and Choi Chang Yeob also give an impressive acting turn. The drama is well supported by rest of the cast also, who dissolve into their characters (except for some girl students, who were just okay in their acting and some were even annoying.)

All in all, School 2103 proves to be a moving experience, which will surely tug at your heartstrings. Among all the messages it gives, the best one is ‘hope’.

My Rating: 9 out of 10.